SACRAMENTO— Today Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg) joined a bipartisan group of legislators in forcefully condemning the Trump Administration’s proposal to permit oil and gas drilling off California’s coastline

Wood, who is a co-author of Assembly Joint Resolution 29, said, “I represent more coastline than any other Assembly District in California – 300 beautiful miles of it to be exact. Our coastline is rugged, majestic and pristine and it should stay that way.”

With its passage today, AJR 29 sends the message to the federal government that the Legislature strongly and unequivocally supports the current federal prohibition on new oil and gas drilling in federal waters offshore California, opposes the Trump administration’s proposal to remove safety and environmental protections related to offshore drilling operations, and opposes the Trump administration’s proposed leasing plan that would expose the state to new offshore drilling.

The measure would also urge the United States Secretary of the Interior to remove California from that proposed leasing plan, and would request that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management hold more than one public hearing on the plan in the State of California to ensure that all Californians have an opportunity to have their voices heard.

The North Coast economy relies on the coastline to provide a healthy commercial fishing industry; it brings in tourists and provides recreation that the coastal city economies and the state depend on.

“We already understand and accept the truth of climate change,” said Wood. “We have been a leader in transitioning away from fossil fuels, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing incentives for alternative energy sources. We know it’s possible, it’s practical and has created a new and thriving economy. There is no reason to go back in time.”